What’s the deal with perjury in NC? In a civil case, if someone lies in their Answer to a Complaint, lies in their interrogatories, contradicts themself in their deposition and tells a different story than how they answered interrogatories, and worst of all, if they contradict what was said in recorded phone conversations, what are the consequences of perjury???
My attorney said to me, “Of course she’s going to lie. She’s the defendant,” and didn’t seem to think much of it. However, if being “under oath” is such a big deal and perjury consequences are so severe, what can I do about someone who lied blatanlty in a deposition? Does the state of North Carolina take it seriously? What this person did by lying really hurt me emotionally, and worst of all, her lies caused my teenager to almost commit suicide and she ended up in a psychiatric hospital for attempted suicide and depression. This woman messed up our lives in an alienation of affection and criminal conversation case, and although the case is now settled, WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THE PERJURY? My attorney does not seem too interested in pursuing anything about the perjury because it doesn’t involve her getting a big paycheck from it. The settlement didn’t even cover the hours my attorney spent.
But I still want this woman to pay for lying under oath. What can I do? I already called the DA’s office and told them that she lied over 40 times in her deposition that I can prove, and they told me that my attorney should take action. But my attorney didn’t seem to think perjury was too big of a deal: she said, “Of course she’s going to lie. She’s the defendant.”
Is there anything that can be done?
If nothing can be done, then why should anyone be scared to LIE under oath, if they can just get by with it with no consequences whatsoever?